Mail Monday: Language Arts through Penpalling

Mail Monday: Language Arts through Penpalling

15 comments

About eight months ago we began a weekly tradition in our homeschool that has stuck around and has become an enjoyable and integral part of our week. We call it Mail Monday! It’s simple, really. Each Monday, I pull out our Mail Monday box and each child writes a letter to a friend or family member.

Why? Writing letters is an enjoyable way to practice writing skills, handwriting, sentence and paragraph formation, grammar, and build relationships! It’s basically a language arts lesson wrapped in a fun package.

I also love that all of my children ages 2, 4, 7, and 9 can do it simultaneously at their own levels. My little ones can draw pictures and tell me what they want to say to grandma or a friend, and I can write the words. My 7-year-old may write a few sentences, and my 9-year-old a few paragraphs.

My children have done everything from drawing pictures, to writing jokes, stories, and general notes. Sometimes they use stationary and other times lined or computer paper. We collect the addresses of any friends or family members over time and they copy them into their personal address books. They address the envelopes with their own return address and the recipient’s address. They add postage and use a wax seal or sticker to decorate the back. Then, they pop them in the mailbox and wait for a return letter! All of the letters we receive back go into a special bag for them to keep and refer back to when they write their pen pal back.

Here are some links to some of our favorites you will find in our Mail Monday bin.

Address books

I love these because they are simple and alphabetized with wide enough lines for children to write on. Since using these weekly my children have gained skills in alphabetizing! We alphabetize by first name because the children don’t know their friends’ last names, but that is a personal preference. Each child has their own and when they think of someone new to write to, I just reach out and ask a parent for their address.

Stationary and envelopes

We have used various types of stationary over time, but here are some favorites. If you really want to focus on handwriting skills, I recommend choosing some with lines. Sometimes my children will also write on lined school paper and just draw on the blank stationary or cards.

Wax seal kit

This is totally unnecessary but totally fun! It’s also super easy to use.

Fine line markers and pens

We love brightening our letters with color with these pens. Any fine tip markers or pens could work though!

Stamps

I get themed Forever stamps that my kids will enjoy from the grocery store or post office.

It’s as simple as that! This idea was inspired by The Waldock Way. Tell me in the comments if you have tried Mail Monday in your homeschool.

Related: Introducing Treehouse Book Club

15 comments

Treehouse Schoolhouse

HI Amanda! Thank you so much! I’m so glad you found the idea helpful. I totally get the struggle with keeping track of supplies and remembering to respond—Mail Monday has really helped us stay on top of things and make it fun. The wax seal kit adds a special touch, and I’m sure your kids will love it! Happy letter writing!

Amanda

This is such a creative and fun activity for homeschoolers! My daughter has a pen pal but I struggle to help her remember to respond or letters go missing and we have the hassle of trying to pull supplies from different areas. We are going to start mail Monday too and I definitely want to invest in the wax seal kit because my kids will adore that too! Thanks for the inspiration!

Treehouse Schoolhouse

Hi Valerie! Yes, or I write it and they trace it, or you could write it and then they copy it on a separate sheet of paper. Whatever works for you!

Valerie

Would you write a template for a 6 year old who is able to write well for copywork but starting kindergarten this year? Or have them phonetically write even if it’s a bit hard to read?

ang

im looking for a penpal for my 10yr old daughter n 13yr old son we dnt know many ppl especially kids their age and they really want to write to a pen pal if anyone is interested my email is [email protected]

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